A Dream Solution for Island Commute

Every resident of Staten Island is correct to be upset about the Port
Authority toll increases. One point several people have made is that the bulk
of the Port Authority money from Staten Island is not supporting
transportation for the Island.

A second point people rally around is that they don't want to pay for mass
transit if they don't have the option of using it. The Port Authority would
like to address the first point by planning another span next to the Goethals
Bridge, though the P.A. is missing the second point, keeping people on the
Island stuck in their cars. Building another bridge for cars and trucks (and
another two lanes on the Staten Island Expressway) will increase traffic
throughout Staten Island, making it harder to drive everywhere.

The following is a dream. The Port Authority, the MTA, NJ Transit and Conrail
build a rail bridge between Totenville and Perth Amboy and improve existing
tracks to the west. People on the Island could then take the SIRT to New
Jersey Transit's North Jersey Coast Line, the Northeast Corridor Line and the
Raritan Valley Line. The bridge would provide access for bicyclists too.

If taken a step further, the MTA, Conrail, and the Port Authority build a
tunnel from the SIRT tracks near St. George to the rail line in Bay Ridge.
This line already is within one block of a station on every subway line in
Brooklyn and Queens. The line also links to the Long Island Railroad.